Foundations of Chen Style Tai Chi & Ba Gua

Somatic Fascia Restructuring

Fundamentals of Chen Style Tai Chi & Bagua Qigong

Our Somatic Fascia Restructuring course will continue to evolve into more complex and whole-body movement patterns. For our foundation into movement we will begin to explore Chen Style Tai Chi and Baguazhang. Traditional Chen Style Tai Chi is the oldest form of Tai Chi Chuan and the foundation for all other Tai Chi styles that emerged later. Traditional Chen Taiji also offers a complete and robust internal art system. It is characterized by deep regulated natural breathing, relaxed frame of mind, smooth circular movements, low powerful stances, supple whole-body spiraling and coiling movements. This internal art embodies both yin and yang energies expressed through its different applications. All together, the system builds up the practitioner’s qi “vital energy”, concentrates on developing the practitioner’s stability and balance.

Baguazhang (Ba Gua) is characterized by its use of spiral and holistic body movements that begin in the feet. Baguazhang contains a wide variety of internal techniques such as “opening and closing,” dissolving and redirecting. Its circular movements, speed, and grace make Baguazhang beautiful to watch. As a meditation practice, Baguazhang produces a stillness of mind during physical activity.

Fascia & Bio-Tensegrity

Fascia is a form of connective tissue. It binds the body together in different layers, and then organizes it into a whole, maintaining a consistent form for the structures within the body. It is a very tough and fibrous tissue which surrounds and interpenetrates every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel, as well as all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord. The most interesting aspect of the fascial system is that it is not just a series of separate coverings, but rather one continuous structure that exists from head to toe without interruption. In this way you can begin to see that each part of the entire body is connected to every other part via the fascia.

Fascia creates a web of support, known as Bio-Tensegrity that facilitates (or inhibits) your body’s ability to move, as well as the ability of your organs to function properly. The fibers of this web line up based on lines of force in the body, meaning that dysfunction and trauma can cause the fibers to become disorganized, which prevents optimal movement and function within any area of your body.

Healthy fascia is elastic and pliable, stretching and moving without restriction. When one experiences trauma however, or is inactive, the fascia loses its pliability. It becomes hardened, dehydrated, shortened and a source of tension to the rest of the body. Often times, unhealthy fascia adheres to itself and other structures (similar to the way plastic wrap works), binding the anatomical structures within you, and thus limiting each of their ability to function properly.

Four Month Course

I will teach the fundamental form of Chen Style Tai Chi, also known as “The Four Basic Patterns” of Chen Style Tai Chi 陈氏四式太极拳 as well as fundamentals of Baguazhang walking. Both styles are complimentary in their movements and health benefits.

In many ways Somatic Fascia Restructuring is simply a reframing of the Neigong (内功, internal) movement principle expressed in traditional styles of Qigong & Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳), known as “Silk-Reeling”. Silk-reeling is the method used to coordinate the parts of the body to achieve whole-body movement: when one part moves, all parts move. As the spiraling becomes internalized the body becomes holistic. Although the ancient masters did not use the term ‘fascia’ we now know that the silk-reeling they were referring to and developing was most certainly the fascia body.

In a very short time you will begin to experience your body as a tensegrity structure, thus relating to your body more holistically. By the end of the program you will have experienced a profound shift in both mind and body. Many people have overcome years of chronic pain, injuries, and athletic gains after just a few short short weeks. Once your new neural connections have been established then your body will begin a journey back to health.

Pricing

$560.00

Once you purchase the program we will send you a link for the Zoom and a student code for the online recordings and access to the form.